RHS Volleyball Lock-In sets sell-out record

High-fives from seniors Armaan Dode and Morgan Morelli. Both played on the 'Mumpchicks' team during the Volleyball Lock-in at Rockville High School. Photos by Jessica Ciparelli.

In record time, 250 tickets were sold out to the fifth annual Rockville High School Volleyball Lock-in, sponsored by the Vernon Drug and Alcohol Prevention Council,  RHS Peer Advocates and “SSNAP,” or “Students Seeking New Achievements Positively.” One of the students purchasing a  ticket was Neil Gentile, a junior member of the defending champion “Rock Boyz” team. But Gentile chose loyalty to his team over a special trip to Florida.

“We were actually going to go to Florida for the second-round NCAA tournament; two games back-to-back, me and my father,” said Gentile. “But this is my favorite thing. All my friends are here. And last year, we won the championship.”

“The kids have been talking about it and their teams and uniforms since October,” said Kim McTighe, youth counselor for Vernon Youth Services Bureau. “It’s really taken on a life of its own – the kids get most excited about this and proms.”

“It’s awesome – it’s one of the best events we do here,” said senior Tyler Glidden, a member of the “Knights Who Say Ni” team, a reference to Monty Python. “No one else does this – just Rockville.”

“I’m tired,” admitted freshman Samantha Lord, a member of the “Over.Net” team. “But it’s really fun.”

“We must have done something right – we sold out in one-and-a-half days,” said senior Hannah Davis, a member of the event’s planning committee and a Peer Advocate.

The event is not a money-maker for the sponsors, but a substance-free event for Rockville High students. Each $10 ticket provided them with the volleyball tournament, food, a deejay, games and activities, movies and NCAA games to watch on television.

“It’s 25 percent of the school’s population that we know are safe on a Friday night,” said McTighe.

The Goon Squad won this year’s event, besting the defending champion Rock Boyz before defeating TMNT in the finals.

The “Spirit Award” went to Mar’s Bears, “Best Uniform” went to the Crayola Crew and “Best Team Name” went to “Scared Hitless.”